Soft Spot Plastic sculpture by Ashley Thorner

Para/Site Art Space is proud to present new work by American artist Ashley Thorner in solo exhibition Soft Spot, from November 2 to 25, 2001 in its Sheung Wan premise.

Ashley Thorner graduated from the California Institute of Arts, Valencia, CA in 1995. She has been incorporating soft plastic in her sculpture and installations since then. This year she has already held two solo exhibitions in California. Soft Spot is her first show in Hong Kong.

The rather academic conceptualized art making that is still mainstream in the male-oriented art world does not interest Thorner. She prefers to express herself in a more direct and visual language using contemporary material. The result is a big organic creature. Soft plastic provides Thorner with visual and tactile possibilities suited to her sensitivity and imagination. Technically it also allows for the flexibility of the space involved and relies less on industrial support or on the physique of the sculptor, conventional prerequisites for making sculpture.

Hong Kong, a city lacking in manufacturing industries and space, poses in turn limits for the development of local sculpture. This exhibition of Thorner's soft sculpture is relevant to a special local context, and is a reference for exploring the creative possibilities in Hong Kong.

The artist will be present at the opening and available for interviews. An exhibition catalogue will be published. This project is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council.